


A Second Chance

by analyticalAuthor



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9913208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/analyticalAuthor/pseuds/analyticalAuthor
Summary: After years of waiting, you find a name appears on your wrist. To your delight, the name belongs to a brilliant scientist.





	1. The Name

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, but I like soulmate AUs. I will probably never write another one unless someone specifically asks for it. Also, the chapters are pretty short. Oops. On the bright side, this one's already done, I just have to do a bit of tweaking here and there, so I should have it all posted fairly soon.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.

Through all your life, you eagerly awaited the name which was due to appear on your wrist, hopefully very soon. The older you got, the more excited you were, knowing it wouldn’t be much longer until it would show up. Most people had their soulmate’s name appear on their wrist by sixteen, but some people got theirs as early as thirteen and some into their twenties. Some people, however never got a name, and so far, nobody had one appear later than twenty-five. Until then, you would impatiently wait.

On your sixteenth birthday, you frowned and traced your wrist where the name still had yet to appear. Maybe it would show up soon. You hoped it would be the cute boy in your biology class. He was pretty cool, and you both really liked science. You smiled, allowing yourself to enjoy that thought for a moment. You knew he hadn’t gotten a name yet either. There was hope for that. On your eighteenth birthday, your wrist was still bare. You’d taken to wearing hoodies and long-sleeved shirts to cover your wrist, embarrassed you still hadn’t gotten your soulmate. Your former classmate had his name the previous year, and it was someone he knew, so they got together promptly.

It wasn’t until college that the name of your soulmate appeared on your wrist. As you finished unpacking your belongings, you flopped down on your bed. That’s when your sleeve slid down your arm just enough to reveal fresh, black marks on your wrist. You admired the text. Harrison Wells. That was certainly an interesting name, yet it felt so natural to say. You grinned widely and whispered to yourself, “I can’t wait to meet you, Harrison.”

You still hadn’t met him when you’d graduated college, but you would be patient. Until then, you would just imagine what he was like. You hoped he was smart. While you waited to meet him, you bought your first car, your favorite classic car. No longer would you have to hitch rides or borrow the family car. It cost north of ten thousand dollars, but you had enough experience that you knew you would be able to take care of it. While you waited, you did just that. You distracted yourself from thoughts of him as you put all your time into the car. You finally had something of your own, and until you met your soulmate, it would be the only thing that really mattered. And it was enough.

In the following years, you bounced around from city to city and job to job until you ended up in a small apartment in Central City. When you’d finished moving in, you sat on the couch and turned on the TV. On the news was a scientist talking about his latest project, the particle accelerator. After he stepped away from the microphone, a reporter took his place. That’s when you heard his name. “Thank you, Harrison,” she whispered just loud enough for you to hear, “Dr. Wells promises we’ll have more information on that in the future when more progress has been made.”

Your heart soared. Harrison Wells. He was a scientist. You grinned, listening as the reporter went on about STAR Labs and the particle accelerator. Then your heart dropped. What if your name wasn’t on his wrist? What if it was but he didn’t care about all this? You sighed, but put on your hoodie and went back out to your car. You should at least meet him. Hey, maybe they’d be hiring. You drove to STAR Labs, and went inside, knocking gently on a doorframe to attract the attention of the man walking towards a hallway.

He jumped, but turned around, “Can I help you?”

“Dr. Wells?” you asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” he stepped closer and held out a hand, “And you are?”

“Y/N,” you said, shaking his hand. His grasp was firm, his hand warm. You liked him already.

He released your hand, “Nice to meet you. What can I help you with Miss L/N?”

“I was wondering if you needed any help around here. I’m new in town, and I need a job.”

He seemed to consider this for a few moments, “What do you do?”

“Programming, networking, cyber security, the occasional web design, all kinds of computer stuff.”

“Welcome aboard, Miss L/N,” he said, “I believe you’ll fit in well with Cisco Ramon.”

You smiled, “Thank you Dr. Wells.”


	2. Not Your Harry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this story sucks. C'est la vie. I'm posting it anyway because maybe someone will like it?  
> No point backing out now.

Over the next few months, you grew closer to Dr. Wells, Cisco, Caitlin, and Ronnie. You were like family. It was only a week before the particle accelerator was predicted to finish that you worked up the nerve to speak to Dr. Wells about his name being on your wrist. You walked into the Cortex in the night, happy to see he was the only one there. You cleared your throat.

He turned to face you, “Yes, Y/N?”

“I, uh, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something for a while now,” you walked over to him.

“What’s that, then?”

“This,” too nervous to explain it, you rolled up your sleeve to show him the name on your wrist.

“Oh,” he hesitated, then rolled up his own sleeve to show you his own wrist. On it was the name Tess Morgan. You nodded and started to leave, but he caught your hand, keeping you there. He continued, “Tess was my wife. She died in a car accident years ago.”

“I see,” you said, trying to stop the tears threatening to spill, not willing to show weakness.

He kept your hand in his, giving it a squeeze, “I’m sorry. But just because you’re not my soul mate doesn’t mean it couldn’t work. Just give me some time. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to try.” He gave you a kiss on the cheek.

You smiled, “Okay. Thank you, Dr. Wells.”

He returned your smile, “Of course, Y/N. And you can call me Harrison.”

“Goodnight, Harrison,” you said, making your way out to your car to go for a drive.

After the particle accelerator exploded, Ronnie died and a man called Barry Allen gained super-speed and became a superhero known as the Flash. He wasn’t the only new metahuman, there were many others affected by the explosion. Sadly, one person had problems that outweighed that news. To you, anyway. The explosion paralyzed Harrison’s legs, putting him in a wheelchair permanently.

One night, a couple months after Barry woke up from his coma and discovered his powers, Harrison wheeled over to where you were sitting at your computer, typing furiously, working on a new program. He sat silently until you got to a stopping point in your code and looked over to him, “Hi.”

“Hi. I think I’m ready now, if you still want to try,” he said, “I know I’m probably not as appealing as I was before, so I understand if you don’t.”

“Of course, I want to,” you grinned at him, “And you’re just as appealing as before. You’re just as smart, just as nice, and just as handsome, though it was never about appearance.” He grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the chair and into his lap, kissing you.

The two of you were happy together for a while, though you kept it secret. Until, of course, he was revealed to not be Harrison Wells at all. He was Eobard Thawne. The Reverse Flash. The night after the revelation, you saw him in your house, waiting for you, “For what it’s worth, I did love you, you know. Soulmate or not.”

“I just have one question.”

“Go for it.”

“Since you’re Eobard, is that why my name wasn’t on your wrist?” you asked.

He shook his head, “I’m sorry to say it isn’t. The real Harrison Wells died the same night as Tess. I took on his appearance, which includes the name on his wrist. I never had a soulmate.”

“For what it’s worth, I loved you, too,” you grabbed his face and pulled it to yours, stealing a kiss.

He smiled sadly, “I’m glad. I have to go now.”

He turned to walk away, but you grabbed his hand, “Stay here. Just for tonight.”

“I wish I could. I have too much to do, though, and I can’t risk being found,” he gave you one last kiss, looked into your eyes with a sad smile plastered onto his face, and sped away. You stared at the spot where he stood for a few minutes before going to bed. You didn’t sleep well that night or any of the following nights, especially after he died.


	3. Help from a Friend

When Earth-2 Harrison Wells showed up, your hope was renewed. A couple days later, you pulled Cisco into the hall to talk. “What’s up, Y/N?” he asked.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course, what is it?”

You rolled up your sleeve to show him the name. “That’s some heavy stuff.”

“Very,” you agreed, “I thought it was our Dr. Wells, but he turned out not to even be Dr. Wells, and the original Wells had the name Tess Morgan on his wrist. Do you think it’s possible that the soulmate thing could work across dimensions? Could he be my Harrison?”

“Like the Meta-Crisis Doctor and Rose? It’s possible, I suppose. But we don’t even know if they have soulmates on their Earth.”  


“We could always ask. Or, you could.”

He crossed his arms, “Why me? I don’t even trust the guy, why would I help my best friend get with someone I don’t like or trust?”  


“Please, Cisco. What if this Harrison is my Harrison but I never find that out, so I die alone? What if he’s got my name on his wrist, too? What if he’s just as nervous about it as me and you’re the only hope for either of us?” you gave him your best puppy-dog eyes.

“All right, fine. I’ll ask him about it. But you owe me one,” he said.

You pulled him into a tight hug, “Thank you so much.”

For the remainder of the day, you watched Harry, looking away each time he turned before he caught you staring, except one time, when you locked eyes momentarily. He was still so handsome. You hoped your name was on his wrist. You missed those eyes, even when they weren’t really his. They were so blue, and you could stare at them forever. He smiled at you, and you smiled back before looking away. When Cisco approached his workshop, your heart seemed to stop. You stood by the doorway, trying to listen without being seen.

“Hey, Harry, can I ask you something?”

Whatever Harrison said, was very quiet. You heard his voice, but you couldn’t quite make out the words.

“Right, funny.”

There was a pause, but when Cisco didn’t leave, Harrison spoke again, “What do you want?” He sounded annoyed. Could someone so angry all the time really be your soulmate? Maybe it was the whole opposites attract thing. Or maybe he had a good reason. After all, everyone did keep comparing him to Eobard.

“I was just wondering about something on Earth-2.”

“What?”

Cisco hesitated, “Can I see your wrist?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well do you have soulmates over on Earth-2?”

“Yes.” Your heart skipped a beat.

“Okay, cool. Who’s yours?”

“None of your business,” Harry retorted, “Go away.”

Cisco sighed, but walked out of the workshop, and you scrambled to get back to your desk unnoticed. He walked over to you. “Y/N,” Cisco said, “Can I see you in the hallway?”

“Sure,” you said, getting up and following him into the hall.

Cisco looked at you, “They do have soulmates on their Earth, but Wells won’t tell me who his soulmate is.”

“Well, that provides me a little hope at least.”

“If you want, we could set up cameras in his workshop, just in case his wrist is ever uncovered.”

You shook your head, “No, I think I want to find out on my own. I’ll talk to him when I’m ready.”

“All right. You know I’m always here for you when you need me, right?” Cisco pulled you into a hug, “If you ever need anything, you can come to me.”

You smiled and gave him a squeeze, “Thank you. The same goes to you, Cisco.” The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, and you went home early, deciding you would come back later to clear your mind.


	4. An Invitation

As you parked the car outside STAR Labs, you noticed there were no other vehicles there. That meant either you were alone, or someone walked there. You didn’t think there was any reason for Barry to be there, so you would probably have the lab to myself. Good, that’s what you wanted. Often, you came to the lab just to do some thinking, usually at night when the Cortex was empty. However, when you entered the room, you saw Harrison Wells. You’d momentarily forgotten he was here, and you hadn’t really thought much about where he was staying.

“Hi,” you said.

“Oh, hi,” Harry glanced behind him, made eye contact, and turned back to his work.

You hoped he would warm up to the group soon, or at least to you. In all honesty, you had always found Dr. Wells attractive, even when your Dr. Wells had turned out to be Eobard Thawne, the man who killed Barry’s mother all those years ago. Now, the new Wells might even be better. He was kind of a dick, but he had good intentions. You smiled at him, knowing he couldn’t see. You wouldn’t want him to see, anyway.

Harry seemed to notice you staring and sarcastically said, “Can I help you?”

“No, there’s nothing I need off the top of my head.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” you said, but continued before he could respond, “I like to come here now and again to just think. It’s nicer here than my apartment.”

“I see. Well I’m here because I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go.”

“You could stay at my apartment. It’s not much, but there’s a bed. It’s probably a bit more comfortable than wherever you’ve been sleeping around here,” you offered.

He turned to face you, and you dared to look into his eyes for a few seconds before focusing on a spot slightly to the left of his head. Harry took off his glasses and placed him on the table, “I don’t have a car here on this Earth, how would I get there and back?”

You smiled softly, glad he was at least considering it, and stole another glance at his pretty blue eyes, “Well, I can drive you. Whenever and wherever you want to go, within reason. I’m not going to drive you across the country, but I’ll take you anywhere within a day’s drive.”

“How long will you be here?”

“Here?”

“The lab. Tonight. How long?”

You shrugged, “I’ll stay as long as you want. We can leave whenever you’re ready to go.”

He turned back to his work, “Give me a few minutes.”

“All right, just tell me when,” you walked over to the desk near the entrance to the Cortex and sat down, propping your feet up on the desk. As Harry worked, you watched him scribble equation after equation on the board, erasing it and grunting periodically whenever he got something wrong. After about half an hour of this, he got excessively frustrated and hurled the eraser at the wall. You jumped up from your seat and ran over to him, grabbing his forearms, “Harry, Harry, calm down. It’s okay.”

“No,” he snapped, “It’s not okay! I need to figure this out.”

You forced him into a hug and rubbed his back gently, “Let’s go home. You won’t be able to solve it on your own on so little sleep. Get some rest, I’ll bring you back when you wake up, okay?”

He sighed, “Fine, I guess.”

You wondered why he caved in so easily, but you gave him a smile and released him from the hug, “Good. And you finally get to see my car.”

“What’s so special about a car?” he asked, skeptically. You shook your head and grabbed his hand, leading him outside to the parking lot and to your car.

You opened the door for him and shrugged, finally responding, “I suppose it’s not that special, but it’s pretty special to me. Out of every car I’ve ever driven, this is my favorite. It’s the most fun.” The two of you got in and buckled up, and you started the engine.


	5. Another Chance

When you got to your apartment, you parked in your spot and got out. The two of you went inside the apartment, and you gave him a quick tour, gesturing to each room as you went, “Okay so this is the main room, that’s the kitchen, there’s the bedroom, and the bathroom’s through that door.”

“I assume I’ll be sleeping on the couch,” he said.

You shook your head, slipping off your shoes and jacket, draping it across the back of the couch, “No, I promised you a bed, I’ll take the couch. Go get some rest.” You noticed him chewing on his lip and asked, “Something wrong?”

“Come to bed with me,” he requested.

“There’s a side of you I’ve never seen before,” you said.

“You want me to rest. I think I’ll sleep better if I’m not sleeping alone,” he looked you in the eye for a second, “I think you will too.”

You nodded, “Okay. But don’t try anything, I barely know you. Just sleeping.”

“Of course,” he offered a small smile, “I wouldn’t dream of taking advantage of you when you’ve welcomed me into your home.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” you asked, “At STAR Labs, you walked in, acting like you own the place.”

“Well, I do own the STAR Labs on Earth-Two, and before he died, your Dr. Wells owned this one. I’m not exactly in the wrong there, am I?” he rebutted.

You shrugged, “No, I suppose not, but still, you’re usually kind of a dick.”

“Glad to know you think of me like that.”

Holding up your hands defensively, you said, “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure you have good reason, and you aren’t a dick to me. I like you.” He raised an eyebrow, and you amended your statement, “I mean, I think you’re all right. You’re a good man.”

“Thanks,” he smiled and took your hand, heading to the bedroom.

“Are you going to take off your coat and shoes at least? Get comfortable, Harry.”

He hesitated, but took off his coat, shoes, and pants. Wearing only a t-shirt and boxers, Harry got in bed first and took a few seconds to settle in before patting the spot next to him. When you climbed in, he pulled the cover over you, wrapping an arm around your waist. You nestled into his chest, shutting your eyes and breathing in his scent. You felt comfortable. It felt like home there, with him. You were very glad you’d worked up the nerve to offer him a place to stay.

Harry rolled onto his back, removing his arm from your waist. You frowned, missing his warmth. But then he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close again. You rested your head on his chest and reached up to run a hand through his soft-looking hair. He leaned into your touch, and you smiled, making your decision, “Harry?”

“Yes?”

“There’s something you should know,” you rolled the sleeve of your shirt up and showed him your wrist, saying nothing more. Harrison grabbed your wrist and ran his thumb across it, as if he didn’t believe it. Then he released you and held his own wrist in front of your face. It was your name.

“I didn’t think I’d get another chance.”

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“The Y/N on my Earth died before we ever met. I ended up marrying someone else. She didn’t have a soulmate, and mine was already dead. We were a pretty great match, too. We had a daughter, Jesse. But my wife, Tess, died.”

“Whoa. The Harrison Wells here died before I met him, too, but Eobard and I were together for a while when he was pretending to be him. We didn’t have a kid, but I’m not a virgin either,” you admitted, “Apparently, the Wells and Tess here were soulmates.” After a short pause, you continued, “Do you think it works across universes? If so, that could be why your name is on my wrist even though mine wasn’t on his.”

Harry pulled you into a hug, “I like to think it does.”

“Me too,” you kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're still here? That's it. It's over. Go home.
> 
> Seriously, though, if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading. Hope you liked it at least a little. Feedback, as always, is appreciated.


End file.
